Amorphous silica nanoparticles derived from biowaste via microwave combustion for drug delivery

Amorphous silica nanoparticles are a promising platform for constructing drug delivery vehicles owing to their high biocompatibility and favorable surface chemistry. In the current study, we report the preparation of amorphous silica nanoparticles using rice husk biowaste via easy and rapid microwave‐assisted combustion. The obtained results from various characterizations indicate that the prepared sample is an amorphous form of silica nanoparticles having sizes 50–80 nm with high purity. Ciprofloxacin was used as the model drug and it was released from silica nanocarrier in a controlled and prolonged manner. The ciprofloxacin release kinetics was investigated using the Higuchi model and Ritger‐Peppas model which corroborate that different process like desorption, diffusion, and surface erosion may be involved in the release of ciprofloxacin from the prepared silica nanocarrier. The antibacterial susceptibility test revealed that the ciprofloxacin loaded silica nanocarrier exhibit a bacterial inhibition zone about 32 ± 4 and 44 ± 3 mm against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. This study can be useful to develop a versatile nanocarrier with controlled delivery of ciprofloxacin to treat different types of bacterial infections.